Stitching machine



March 23, 1950 sg w -rz 2,501,240

STITCHING MACHINE ed Aug. 15, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Mar. 21, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE STITCHING MACHINE Frank M. Schwartz, New York, N. Y.

Application August 13, 1947, Serial No. 768,298

Claims.

This application is a continuation in part of my co-pending application Serial Number 691,736. The invention herein described and claimed relates to machines for stitching fabrics, and more particularly to machines for sewing ornamental as well as functional stitch lines in quilts, comforters, or the like, in any articles consisting of two pieces of fabric enclosing a filler therebetween, and in general in any articles consisting of or embodying therein pieces of fabric, as well as for sewing ornamental stitch lines on single pieces of fabric.

A typical example of an article to which a machine according to my invention may be conveniently applied, is a quilt, and therefore the invention will be described with particular reference to a quilt; however, in View of the variety of articles which could be handled by the machine, the word "work will also be used collectively to designate any and all such articles. In fact, my invention could find application in arts other than the textile art, and precisely wherever it may be desired to define on a number of articles the same pattern to effect a design, a stitch line, a cutting line, or any type of line according to a predetermined master pattern.

Several attempts have been made in the textile art, to provide machine means for stitching quilts or single fabrics, and the like, according to predetermined designs, which predetermined designs may be reproduced with substantial exactness in a number of different articles. These machine means may be hand-controlled, semi-automatic, or completely automatic. It is, of course, possible to draw the design or pattern to be followed by the stitch line, on each individual article, and then manually to cause the relative movement between the sewing head and the article in a path corresponding to said design or pattern. However, this method offers a number of obvious drawbacks such as lack of accuracy and difficulty in following the design, particularly in the case of comforters or other articles having somewhat large standard dimensions and which require stitching on a frame. Obviously as long as the needle is stitching points of the work that are near the operator, this latter can see the pattern fairly well and guide the stitching operation precisely enough; but the portions of the pattern away from the operator are only poorly visible, causing the stitch lines in that region to become rough and inaccurate. Consequently such a total manual control is only permissible in the case of cheap or small articles.

The art has therefore developed types of automatic or semi-automatic machines for causing a number of quilts or like articles to receive stitch lines conforming to the same master pattern. Such machines comprise a pattern board on which the master pattern is physically defined by means of a groove or ridge and a follower element which successively engages consecutive points of said groove or ridge, said follower element being so shaped or having means associated therewith so constructed as to assure positive engagement of master pattern and follower. The machine may be manually or powe driven. In any case the work is mounted thereon in invariable positioned relationship to the master pattern, and the sole sewing head in invariable positioned relationship to the follower, whereby the relative motion of follower and master pattern is accompanied by identical relative motion of the sewing head and work. This last mentioned type of machine has some important drawbacks, which result from the type of engagement between the track or ridge and the follower, in definite mechanical limitations which are a consequence of that type of engagement. For one thing, no part of the design can have a curvature exceeding certain limits because it is not possible for the follower to move in a track or over a ridge too sharply curved. Furthermore, crossings, cusps, and multiple points in the pattern constitute a problem which can only be solved by complicated, expensive, and not generally satisfactory mechanical means.

Finally, when the machine is provided with power means, as is usually the case, said means can only operate as long as follower and master pattern are in engagement, that is the follower must be brought over a point of the pattern by manual action and likewise any motion or displacement in the plane of the pattern but other than along the pattern must be manually effected. Thus the power means are bound to and limited in their operation to the path of motion defined by the master pattern. The aforementioned limitations, and other undesirable features known to those skilled in the art, may vary in degreedepending on the particular design and dimensions of the cooperating parts involved, but they are present in all automatic or semi-automatic machines of the prior art to a significant, irreducible extent.

In the aforementioned parent application Serial Number 691,736 I have described and claimed a stitching machine which overcomes the shortcomings of prior art machines hereinbefore set forth, and has a number of novel and important useful features. The principle of said machine may be summarized as follows. A number of work pieces are mounted each on one of a number of movable carriages which are actuable in two perpendicular horizontal directions past a corresponding numbe of fixed sewing stations. Each needle therefore may be caused to define on a piece of work any desired pattern, depending on the manner in which the movable carriages are actuated. The motion of the movable carriages is controlled simultaneously and in an identical manner by a flexible element which is caused to ride over suitable guide members, such as rollers. The motion of the flexible member with respect to its guides determines the motion of the movable carriages in one of the aforementioned twohorizontal directions, while their motion 'in'the other two perpendicular directions isdeterminedby the corresponding motion of the supports of said guides of the flexible member. The flexible member, and therefore its guides, are actuated by a number of drive elements,preferably drive roller's, theaxis of each of which is rotatable about a fixed point, and which can therefore be manually steered to control the motion of the flexible member and the guides thereof. In the machine described in my aforementioned'parent application, the flexible membe is disclosed as for instance a. belt, and on said member there is traced or otherwise visibly defined a master pattern, or a number of fragments or points on said master pattern sufiicient to guide the operator. The drive rollers or equivalent drive members are so steered that the points of said master pattern are successively caused to coincide with the point of contacton one of the drive rollers with the belt which point of contact is fixed in space and is conveniently located close to and within easy view of the operator.

The general object of this invention is to provide a novel and improved machine of the-character described which is power driven and hand steered, wherein the steering is renderedeasier, more precise and more flexible than in the ma.- chine described and claimed in my aforementioned patent application, and wherein the driving means are simplified and rendered more efficient.

Another general object is'to provide a machine of the character described, power drivenand hand steered, wherein the driving means and the'steering means, which latter embody a master pattern, are separated and rendered independent, and wherein no'replacement or modification of any part of the driving means is required 'to change the master pattern.

Another object is to provide a machine of'the characte described wherein the master :pattern may be materialized on an element ofthe utmost cheapness, such as a sheet of'pap'er or the like, and wherein therefore the cost of changing patterns is negligible.

A further object is to provide a machine of the character described wherein the fixed'element'to which the points of the master pattern are successively juxtaposed has no other function besides that of a pointer, and can be shaped therefore like a stylus or in any other suitable way to permit steering the machine withthe utmost preciseness.

A still further object is to provide a machine of the character described wherein the driving action, as distinct fromthe steering action is simplified and rendered more efficient by eliminating the necessity of carrying it outithrough the interposition of a looped or jump member.

A still further object is to provide a machine 4 of the character described wherein both the master pattern and the driving unit can be made to occupy a minimum space, providing a machine more compact than any hitherto known, while the master pattern remains at all times in a most convenient position for accurate and easy steering.

A still further object is to provide a machine of the character described embodying certain devices which make the steering practically easy and fool proof, making'no demands on the operators skill.

A still further object is to provide a machine of the character described wherein the master patternis so mounted that it is easy for an operator to modify or elaborate the design at will.

In addition 'to the foregoing objects particularly-set forth, a machine according to this invention achieves the objects listed in detail in my aforementioned patent application No. 691,736 and which comprise: reproduction of master patterns having sharply curved portions, 'intricate convolutions, cusps, cros'sings,and intertwinings; flexibility in providing different degrees of amplification between steering means, driving means, and work carrying driven means to conform'to any operative requirements; operativeness of the power means to produce any plane motion'of the work piece withoutrestriction to a pathdefined by the particular master pattern whichis mount- 'ed on the machine, possibility of the operator's maintaining a fixed position, and possibility of physically tracing the master pattern onlyin part, such as'by points or segments, allowing the operator'to complete the pattern by eye and to vary the same, if so desired.

Other related and ancillary objects of this invention will clearly appear as the description proceeds.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 illustrates one preferred embodiment of my invention, shown in perspective view, with certain parts indicated in phantom lines to simplify the drawing.

Fig.2 is a similar perspective view of another preferred embodiment of my invention, with a portion thereof broken away.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, Fig. 1 illustrates one preferred embodiment of my 'invention, which is substantially the same as the machine described and claimed in my aforesaid parent application, Serial No. 691,736, insofar as the base frame, the work carriages and frames, and the sewing heads are concerned. Asinthe machine of my aforementioned parent application, there is provided a stationary frame vll],'a lower carriage l I, upper carriages l2, and'sewing heads 14, of which only one is shown infull lines while the others are indicated in broken linesto avoid complicating the drawing. Located centrally of the machine are the pattern control and drive elements, which form the subject matter of this invention, and will therefore be described in greater detail.

Generally speaking, as in my aforementioned parent application, it is desired to'im'part to the upper carriages, which are two in the embodiment illustrated, any predetermined plane motion, preferably a horizontal motion. Each work carriage carries rigidly mounted thereon inany suitable manner, a number 'of work frames (two in the embodiment illustrated) which may be of the type described in my parent application, upon each of which a work piece,such as a quilt or the like, is mounted. In the drawings there has been illustrated only one-such work frame, and this has been schematically indicated in broken lines in Fig. l as being supported by one of the work carriages through the interposition of uprights. The remaining work frames may be similarly mounted, and have been omitted from the drawing for the sake of simplicity. As each work carriage, and therefore each work piece, moves in a horizontal plane, and travels past the needle of its corresponding sewing head, said needle defines thereon a stitch line. Any shape of stitch line is possible, inasmuch as the motion of the work can be varied at will and the problem is to control the motion of the work carriages to produce the desired pattern of stitch line.

As in my aforementioned parent application this is achieved by decomposing the motion of the work carriages into two components, which have been defined as transversal and longitudinal, by which is meant motions respectively across the front of the machine, as viewed by the operator who is located in front of the frame l6, designated hereinafter as pointer frame, and from front to rear with respect to the same operator. The transversal component of any motion is furnished by the motion of the lower carriage travelling over the rails l of the base frame I I, said lower carriage being provided with rollers and being guided by retaining rollers I8. The longitudinal component of any motion is provided by the relative motion of the upper carriages and the rails 22 of the lower carriage, said upper carriage being provided with rollers 2| and be ing guided by suitable retaining rollers.

The power means and transmission for producing the motion above described and the steer- 2 ing means for determining its characteristics are different from those disclosed in my aforementioned parent application. and will now be described.

Located centrally of the machine is a drive belt 25 mounted on a number of guide rollers herein disclosed as being in the number of three, the front guide roller 26, the intermediate guide roller 2'1, and the rear guide roller 28. The belt 25 is looped over its rollers by means of suitable closure 29, schematically indicated in the drawings and preferably comprising resilient elements. The guide rollers are freely journalled in supports respectively indicated at 30, 3|, and 32, which are mounted on the lower carriage ii. Preferably one of the two extreme rollers may be (in the drawings the front roller 26) journalled in pivotable supports so as to allow the belt to be tensioned or loosened as desired, and one arrangement for achieving this purpose has been described in my aforementioned parent application and will not be repeated here. The supports of the remaining rollers are rigid with the lower carriage. Each of the guide rollers has mounted on the shaft thereof two pinions, and each of the six pinions, all indicated by the numeral 36, meshes with either one or the other of two longitudinal racks rigid with the upper carriages. Thus as the belt travels over its guide rollers, these latter rotate and therefore the action of their pinions 34 cause the upper carriages to move longitudinally with respect to the lower carriage. It is to be understood that different mechanical arrangements could be adopted for transforming the rotary motion of the guide rollers into longitudinal motion of the upper carriages, andthat the ratio of the speeds therebetween could be controlled as desired, without departing from the invention.

3 Located centrally of the machine is a stationary frame portion 13, comprising a bracketframe extension upon which there are mounted a number of drive heads. In the embodiment illustrated there is one front drive head 36, two intermediate drive heads 31, and one rear drive head 38. All of these drive heads are constructed substantially like those described in detail in my aforementioned parent application, and it is understood therefore that they may be lowered to cause their drive rollers 39 to come into pressure engagement with the drive belt or can be raised out of engagement therewith by any suitable means such as the means described in my parent application. Further all the drive heads are swiveled about a vertical axis which, for each head, passes through the point of contact of the drive roller with the drive belt, the pivoting of all the drive heads is rendered synchronic by the provision of a chain 4E! engaging a sprocket M on each of the drive heads, or by any other suitable means. When the motors comprised in the drive heads are running, and the drive rollers are in contact with the drive belt, rotation of the drive rollers causes the belt to travel over its guide rollers, at the same time causes the guide rollers with their supports and therefore the entire lower carriage I I and the upper carriages, work frames and work pieces, carried thereby to move transversely of the machine, while at the same time the upper carriages with the work frames and work pieces travel longitudinally with respect to the lower carriage as a result of the rotation of the guide rollers. The ratio of the longitudinal and transverse motions abovementioned depends, as has been fully set forth in my parent application, on the orientation of the drive heads, so that by suitably controlling at all times said orientation the work pieces may be caused to follow a path which will result in any desired stitch pattern thereon. In the embodiment here in illustrated four drive heads are provided for better and more gradual drive, but this is not to be taken as a limitation as their number could be increased or reduced at will. Clearly when four heads are provided as herein disclosed, the drive belt, or at least the intermediate guide rollers, must occupy more transverse space than would be necessary if there were only the front and rear drive heads, because the two intermediate drive heads are oiTset from the medial line of the guide rollers, and the distance therebetween must be added to the width of the belt or at least to the length of the intermediate drive roller.

The control of the orientation of the drive heads to obtain the desired stitch line pattern is effected as follows. A pattern drum 42 of suitable diameter is journalled in supports 43 also rigid with the'lower carriage. A master pattern M is defined on the pattern drum, preferablyby tracing the same on a sheet of paper or other material and then wrapping such sheet about the pattern drum. When this is done the master pattern is extremely cheap and easy to replace. The pattern drum 42 is caused to rotate synchronically with the travel of the belt over the guide rollers by means of any suitable arrangement, such as for instance by means of a chain 45 engaging a sprocket 46 keyed to the pattern drum shaft and a sprocket 4T keyed to the shaft of one of the guide rollers. Clearly two chains could be employed instead of one, and the me, chanical connection can be varied in any number of ways. At any rate the pattern drum rotates with the travel of the belt, and it moves bodily transversely of the machine with the corresponding motion of the belt, because its supports are also rigid with the lower carriage. Rotatably mounted in the pointer frame it is a vertical shaft 48 on which are mounted a sprocket 43, a steering wheel 50, and finally a stylus or pointer 51 juxtaposed to the periphery of the pattern drum. The sprocket 49 is connected by means of a chain 52 to another sprocket 53 rigid with one of the drive heads, so that by manually rotating the steering wheel 50 all of the drive heads may be synchronically swiveled about their vertical axis.

It is now clearly understood that as the pattern drum rotates and at the same time moves bodily transversely of the machine, a succession of points of the periphery thereof will pass next to the point of the stylus i, and that succession of points will depend on how the steering wheel is manipulated, inasmuch as that manipulation determines at all times the ratio between transverse and longitudinal motion of the work carriages which is the same as the ratio between transverse motion of the pattern drum and rotation thereof. Therefore as the operator stands next to the pattern drum in an invariable position and operates the steering Wheel 53 while the drive heads drive the drive belt and therefore all the other elements of the machine, he may cause the stylus 5i to follow any desired trajectory or pattern defined on the periphery of the pattern drum. Said pattern then will be reproduced in the manner discussed at length in my aforementioned application on the work pieces.

The advantages achieved by this invention are numerous and important. In the first place all the desirable features and the advantages over the prior art of the invention which forms the subject matter of my parent application are fully maintained in this invention, inasmuch as the means for driving the work pieces with respect to the sewing heads have remained unchanged. Furthermore new improvements are added. In the first place the steering of the machine to follow the master pattern is rendered easier and more precise. The operator can stand as close as possible to the master pattern and has the clearest unobstructed view of the same. He is required to guide a pointer of any suitable configuration, preferably stylusr shaped, about the master pattern, rather than a drive roller as in my parent application. It is obvious that the substitution of a sharp point not contacting the pattern but being adjacent to it for a roller of a definite, although limited minimum size, results in considerably more accurate and easier steering. Furthermore since the drive rollers themselves do not now contact anyphysically defined mastern pattern, and are therefore not in danger of obscuring it and interfering with the operators view, they may have any size, configuration and arrangement that will enhance the efficiency of the driving action. It is clear that the drive rollers still define on the drive belt the master pattern or an image thereof, even though their path is no longer physically defined on the drive belt. The increased ease and precision of steering produce anincreased operative flexibility of the machine. It has already been stated in my parent application that the master pattern need not be defined in its entirety but that only a number of polnts'or segments thereof could be traced on the drive belt and an experienced operator could be relied upon to connect those separate points or segments to produce the complete pattern, while if desired, including variations in this latter. Such a mode of operation is rendered easier and more practicable by this invention, wherein the pattern, being wound on the drum, has a larger portion at all times under the direct scrutiny of the operator, and wherein the sharp pointer taking the place of the roller facilitates design control on the operators part. An import-ant feature of this invention is to increase cheapness of the master pattern, which may be drawn on a sheet of paper or similarly economical and easily replaced element. With this'invention, the master pattern may be changed quickly, a large supply may be kept available at all times, and the operation of the machine enjoys much greater flexibility or economy. No machine even remotely approaching such highly desirable features is known in the art. Another factor of in creased flexibility is the introduction of a transmission ratio between the pattern drum and the drive belt. By judicious design, this transmission ratio may be combined with the longitudinal and transverse transmission ratios between the guide rollers and the work carriages to provide a variety of proportions between the master pattern and the stitched patterns and to permit of decreased size and greater efiiciency of the machine.

All of the above advantageous features are also found in a second embodiment of this invention, which is illustrated in Fig. 2, said figure being limited to the portion of the machine directly concerned. It is seen that this embodiment differs from the previous one merely through the elimination of the drive belt. Here the friction of the contact is directly between the drive roll ers and the guide rollers, although these latter of course are no longer guide rollers, properly speaking. In view of this fact and for the sake of simplicity the same numerals have been employed in Fig. 2 as were employed to designate corresponding parts in Fig. 1. This second embodiment therefore constitutes a further simplification of the machine, rendered possible by the fact that the master pattern is physically defined on an element separated from the drive element.

A desirable feature of a machine according to the invention is the provision of means for indicating the direction of the relative motion of the pointer 5! and the pattern 44, so that when the machine is stopped for any reason, the operator will know at a glance in which direction said motion should be resumed. Such means may conveniently comprise an electrical device for lighting an arrow or another direction-indicator, and the particular structure of such a device is a matter of judicious design which can be determined by a person skilled in the art.

The manner of operating a machine according to this invention is substantially the same as the manner of operating a machine as set forth in my co-pending application S. N. 691,736 and therefore will not be gone into to any greater detail. It is noted, however, that in the caseof this invention the master pattern is usually de fined on a sheet of paper or like material adapted to be wound about the pattern drum, and that a supply of such master patterns can be generally kept on hand for immediate inter changing when shiftin from one to another.

While I have described two preferred embodiments of my invention by way of illustration, it is understood that many changes, variations and 9 adaptations can be made therein without de parting from the spirit of the invention or exceeding the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A machine for reproducing on each of a number of work pieces a predetermined pattern, means for supporting the work pieces and imparting thereto a plane motion with respect to fixed pattern reproducing stations, a pattern member, a fixed pointer associated therewith, control means operatively connected to said supporting means and to said pattern member in such a way that the motion of said supporting means, and therefore the pattern reproduced on the work pieces by said fixed stations, and the motion of said pattern member, and therefore the points successively indicated thereon by said fixed pointer, are determined by the motion of said control means, drive means for actuating said control means, and steering means operatively connected to said drive means for controlling the motion of said control means to cause said fixed pointer successively to indicate on said pattern member points defining together a master pattern, whereby said fixed stations reproduce on each of the work pieces said master pattern.

2. In a machine for reproducing on each of a number of work pieces a predetermined pattern, means for supporting the work pieces and imparting thereto a plane motion with respect to fixed pattern reproducing stations, a pattern member rotably mounted in supports having a translatory motion, a fixed pointer associated with said pattern member, control means comprising at least one control shaft rotatably mounted in supports having a translatory motion, means for operatively connecting said control means to said pattern member to maintain a fixed ratio between the respective translatory motions thereof and to maintain another fixed ratio between the respective rotary motions thereof, whereby the points successively indicated on said pattern member by said fixed pointer are determined by the relationship between the rotary speed and the translatory speed of said control shaft, means for operatively connecting said control means to said supporting means whereby the motion of the latter and therefore the pattern reproduced on the work pieces by said fixed stations is determined by the relationship between the rotary speed and translatory speed of said control shaft, drive means for actuating said control means, and steering means operatively connected to said drive means for controlling the motion of said control means to cause said fixed pointer successively to indicate'on said pattern member points defining together a master pattern, whereby said fixed stations reproduce on each of the work pieces said master pattern.

' 3. In a machine for reproducing on each of a number of work pieces, a predetermined pattern, means for supporting the work pieces and imparting thereto a plane motion with respect to fixed' pattern reproducing stations, a pattern member rotatably mounted in supports having a translatory motion not perpendicular to the -'.'axis of said pattern member, a fixed pointer as- -'sociated with said pattern member, control means comprising at least one control shaft rotatably mounted in supports having a translatory "motion parallel to the translator-y motion of the supports of said pattern member, means for op- 'erativelyconnecting said control means to said pattern member to maintain a fixed ratio between the respective translatory motions thereof and to maintain another fixed ratio between the respective rotary motions thereof, whereby the points successively indicated on said pattern member by said fixed pointer are determined by the relationship between the rotary speed and the translatory speed of said control shaft, means for operatively connecting said control means to said supportin means whereby the motion of this latter and therefore the pattern reproduced on the work pieces by said fixed stations is de-- termined by the relationship between the rotaryj speed and translatory speed of said control shaft drive means for actuating said control means and steering means operatively connected to saiddrive means for controlling the motion ofisaidcontrol means to cause said fixed pointer suc cessively to indicate on said pattern member points defining together a master pattern, whereby said fixed stations reproduce on eachof the work pieces said master pattern.

4. In a machine'for reproducing on each of a number of work pieces a predetermined pattern, a frame, a first carriage having a translatory motion with respect to said frame, a pattern drum rotatably mounted in supports fixed to said first carriage, a pointer fixed to said frame and extending into adjacent relationship to the periphery of said drum, control means comprising at least one control shaft rotatably mounted in supports rigid with said first carriage, means for operatively connecting said control shaft to said pattern drum for rotating the latter in response to the rotation of the former, whereby the points successively indicated on the periphery of said pattern drum by said pointer are determined by the motion of said control shaft, a number of work carriages for supporting the work pieces and imparting thereto a plane motion with respect to fixed reproducing stations,

means for operatively "connecting said control shaft to said work carriages whereby the motion of the latter and therefore the pattern reproduced on the work pieces by said fixeds'tations is determined by the motion of said control shaft, drive means for-actuating said control means to rotate said control shaft and concurrently to impart to the supports thereof and therefore to said first carriage a translatory motion, and steering means operatively connected to said drive means for continuously controlling the ratio of the rotation of said control shaft to the translatory motion of said first carriage to cause said fixed pointer successively to indicate on said pattern drum points defining together a master pattern, whereby said fixed stationsreproduce on each of the work pieces said master pattern.

5. In a machine for reproducing on each of a number of work pieces a predetermined pattern, a frame, a first carriage having a translatory motion with respect to said frame, a pattern drum rotatably mounted in supports fixed to said first carriage said pattern drum having removably mounted on the periphery thereof a'sheet member having defined thereon a master pattern,"a pointer fixed to said'frame and extending "into adjacent relationship to'the-peripherypf said drum, control means comprising at least one con- .trol shaft rotatably mounted in'supports rigid with saidfirst carriage, means for operatively connecting said control shaft tov said pattern drum for rotating the'latter in response to the rotation of the former, whereby the points successively indicated on said sheet member by'said pointer are determined by the motion of said 1 1 control shaft, a number of work carriages for supporting the work pieces and imparting thereto a plane motion with respect to fixed reproducing stations, means for operatively connecting said control shaft to said work carriages whereby the motion of the latter and therefore the pattern reproduced on the work pieces by said fixed stations is determined by the motion of said control shaft, drive means for actuating said control means to rotate said control shaft and concurrentl to impart to the supports thereof and therefore to said first carriage a translatory motion, and steering means operatively connected to said drive means for continuously controlling the ratio of the rotation of said control shaft to the translatory motion of said first carriage to cause said fixed pointer successively to indicate on said pattern drum points defining together said master pattern, whereby said fixed stations reproduce on each of the work pieces said master pattern.

6. In a machine for reproducing on each of a number of work pieces a predetermined pattern, means for supportin the work pieces and imparting thereto a plane motion with respect to fixed pattern reproducing stations, a pattern member rotatably mounted in supports having a translatory motion, a fixed pointer associated with said pattern member, control means comprising at least one control shaft rotatably mounted in supports having a translatory motion, means for operatively connecting said control means to said pattern member to maintain a fixed ratio between the respective translatory motions thereof and to maintain another fixed ratio between the respective rotary motions thereof, whereb the points successively indicated on said pattern member by said fixed pointer are determined by the relationship between the rotary speed and the translatory speed of said control shaft, means for operatively connecting said control means to said supporting means whereby the motion of this latter and therefore the pattern reproduced on the work pieces by said fixed stations is determined by the relationship between the rotary speed and trans-- latory speed of said control shaft, drive means embodying drive rollers, means for establishing a frictional engagement between said drive means and said control means to actuate the latter, and

steering means for controlling the angular positioned relationship of said drive rollers to said control means to control the relationship between the rotary speed and the translatory speed of said control shaft to cause said fixed pointer successively to indicate on said pattern member points defining together a master pattern, whereby said fixed stations reproduce on each of the work pieces said master pattern.

7. In a machine for reproducing on each of a number of work pieces a predetermined pattern, means for supporting the work pieces and impartin thereto a plane motion with respect to fixed pattern reproducing stations, a pattern member rotatably mounted in supports having a translatory motion, a fixed pointer associated with said pattern member, control means comprising at least one control shaft rotatably mounted in supports having a translatory motion, means for operatively connecting said control means to said pattern member to maintain a fixed ratio between the respective translatory motions thereof and to maintain another fixed ratio between the respective rotary motions thereof, whereby the points successively indicated on said pattern member by said fixed pointer are determined by the relationship between the rotary speed and the translatory speed of said control shaft, means for operatively connecting said control means to said supporting means whereby the motion of this latter and therefore the pattern reproduced on the work pieces by said fixed stations is determined by the relationship between the rotary speed and translatory speed of said control shaft, drive means embodying at least one drive head comprising a source of power and a drive roller actuated thereby, means for bringing said drive roller into frictional engagement with said control shaft to actuate the latter, a hand-controlled steering shaft, and means operatively connecting said steering shaft to said drive head to control the angular positioned relationship of said drive roller to said control shaft for controlling the ratio between the rotary speed and the translatory speed of said control shaft to cause said fixed pointer successively to indicate on said pattern member points defining together a master pattern, whereby said fixed stations reproduce on each of the work pieces said master pattern.

8. In a stitching machine a base, movable carriages having means for attaching thereto fabrics to be stitched, at least one control roller having supports movable with respect to said base in a direction parallel to the axis thereof, drive means for causing the said control roller to rotate and for concurrently causing said supports to move with respect to said base, a separate pattern drum rotatably mounted in supports and having defined thereon a master pattern, means for operatively connecting said pattern drum to said control roller for rotation synchronically therewith, means for operatively connecting said supports of said control roller to said supports of said pattern drum for synchronic parallel motion with respect to said base, a fixed pointer juxtaposed to said pattern drum, steering means operatively connected to said drive means for controlling the motion of said control roller and therefore of said pattern drum, and means operatively connecting said control roller to said carriages whereby when said steering means are so controlled as to cause a succession of points on said pattern drum defining a master pattern corresponding to a predetermined pattern to coincide with a fixed point next to said pointer, points on each of said fabrics defining together said predetermined pattern are successively brought to a stitching point fixed with respect to said base.

9. In a stitching machine a base frame, a carriage reciprocably movable in one direction with respect to said base frame, supporting carriages for fabrics to be stitched reciprocably movable perpendicular to said first mentioned direction with respect to said carriage, means for attaching fabrics to be stitched to said supporting carriages, guide rollers freely mounted with their axis parallel to said first mentioned direction in supports reciprocably movable in said first mentioned direction with respect to said base frame, a belt mounted over said guide rollers, the points of said belt located between said guide rollers describing a path relative to said supports perpendicular to said first mentioned direction when said guide rollers rotate, means for displacing said carriage with respect to said base frame by an amount controlled by the motion of said supports, means for displacing said supporting carriages with respect to said carriage by an amount controlled by the displacement of said points of said belt with respect to said supports, a separatepattern drum having defined thereon a master pattern, supports for said pattern druni, means for displacing said supports with respect to said base frame by an amount controlled by the motion of said supports on said guide rollers, means for rotating said pattern drum by an amount controlled by the displacement of said points of said belt with respect to said supports, a fixed pointer juxtaposed to said pattern drum, drive means for causing said belt to travel over said guide rollers and concurrently for causing said supports of said guide rollers to move with respect to said base, and steering means for so controlling said drive means as to cause a succession of points of said pattern drum defining a master pattern corresponding to a predetermined pattern to coincide with a fixed point next to said pointer, whereby stitching points fixed with respect to said base frame will describe said prede-' termined pattern on fabrics attached to said supporting carriages.

10. In a machine for reproducing on each of a number of work pieces a predetermined pattern, a base frame, a first carriage having a transversal motion with respect to said base frame, work carriages for supporting the work pieces having a longitudinal motion with respect to said first carriage, a pattern drum rotatably mounted in supports fixed to said first carriage, control rollers rotatably mounted in supports fixed to said first carriage, pinion and rack means for transforming the rotary motion of said control rollers 14' into said longitudinal motion of the work carriages, means for causing said pattern drum to rotate with respect to the supports thereof inresponse to the rotation of said control rollers, a fixed pointer associated with said pattern drum, drive means for causing said control rollers to rotate with respect to the supports thereof and for concurrently causing said first carriage to move transversely of said frame, a number of fixed pattern reproducing stations each associated with one of the work pieces, and steering means operatively connected to said drive means for controlling the rotation of said control rollers and the translatory motion of said first carriage to cause said fixed pointers successively to indicate on said pattern drum points defining together a master pattern corresponding to said predetermined pattern, whereby said fixed stations reproduce on each of the work pieces said predetermined pattern.

FRANK M. SCHWARTZ.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Schlicksupp Oct. 28, 1946 

